MALA MALA

ANTONIO SANTINI, DAN SICKLES | PUERTO RICO, USA | 2014 | 90 MIN | NR

In this sensitive, illuminating documentary, Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles (the team behind 2017’s Dina) follow nine members of Puerto Rico’s transgender community—including RuPaul’s Drag Race alum April Carrión and 65-year-old trans pioneer Soraya—as they go about their daily lives while navigating issues of identity, performance, and discrimination. Filmed over three years, the film takes a lush, uniquely cinematic approach to capturing its subjects, whether in moments of intimate reflection or public performance. Though their varying backgrounds and perspectives indicate the breadth and diversity of the trans experience, each of Mala Mala’s subjects conveys the complex relationship between personal identity and political agency.

“This film does not pander. Rather, it demands that the viewer rise to the occasion.” –The Village Voice

American cinema has always held a mirror to the country’s ever-changing cultural and political landscape, giving the American people a chance to experience their deepest fears and loftiest ambitions magnified by the power of the silver screen. With State of the Union, PFS invites audiences to explore the country’s past and imagine its future through films that rigorously examine American leaders, institutions, and values while still being great works of entertainment.